Arkansas beats Ole Miss to avoid sweep

From Special Reports

April 23, 2012 8:32:43 AM

OXFORD -- After taking the first two games of the weekend series, the No. 22 University of Mississippi baseball team missed a chance for a sweep Sunday, losing to the No. 15 University of Arkansas 11-3.

Ole Miss (27-13, 9-9 Southeastern Conference) used 8-2 and 1-0 wins Saturday to move into second place in the SEC Western Division, two games behind LSU.

Sam Smith (2-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in one inning.

Cade Lynch (2-1) picked up the win for the Razorbacks (28-12, 9-9 SEC), working three innings and allowed one run on three hits with walk and four strikeouts. He came on to relieve starting pitcher D.J. Baxendale, who worked 3 2/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

"It was a tough day for us and a good day for them," Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. "We swung it all right, but we didn't get that key base hit to score a lot of runs to get back into the game. They swung it well throughout the game.

"It was a tough day to pitch. Sometimes that is just baseball and it was just one of those days. It's hard to understand, but that's baseball. Arkansas got two hits yesterday afternoon and got 18 today and seemed so locked in. They were very impressive at the plate."

Arkansas scored four runs in the first inning and three runs in the second to build early momentum.

Ole Miss got on the board in the third when Austin Anderson scored on a Matt Snyder single to left center.

Arkansas got a run back in the fourth with a sacrifice fly from Dominic Ficociello to extend the lead to 8-1. The Razorbacks added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Ole Miss added a run in the seventh when Tanner Mathis scored a double play ball to third from Snyder with the bases loaded.

The Rebels scored again in ninth when Sikes Orvis drove in Snyder with a single.

Ole Miss will return to action at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to face the University of Memphis at AutoZone Park.